Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

Clift’s grandfather, David Snodgrass, as a nine-year-old, had come to Australia from Paisley in Scotland in the ship Macedon, arriving in June 1849. Initially he farmed at Gumeracha, then the Alma Plains, before finally settling in Wallaroo.
Clift was the second son and fifth of David John Jnr and Clara Gidley’s seven children. He was born at Port Wakefield on the 11th May 1910 and had siblings David John, Frances Harriet Ellen (Fanny), Estelle Caroline, Clara May, Joseph Flinders and William (Bill) George who later attended the local Kadina Memorial School.
Clift was just seven when his three-year-old brother, Joseph Flinders, died in March 1918. The following year the grieving family placed a memorial notice in the Advertiser ‘SNODGRASS -In sad but loving memory of our darling Joseph Flinders, who died March 13, 1918, aged 3 years. Time may heal the broken hearted, Time may make the wound less sore; But time can never soothe the longing For the loved one gone before. Inserted by his loving mother, father, sister, and brothers.’
Five years later when Clift was almost thirteen his older brother, David was more fortunate in surviving a farm accident. The local Kadina and Wallaroo Times reported in May ’23 that ‘He was harnessing a team of horses to the drill, when the team bolted. The lad held on for about two chains and fell, the drill (a disc) dragging him about eight yards and passing over his body. His injuries were attended to by Dr. Carden, of Kadina. The left leg was dislocated, and severe facial injuries resulted. He will be an inmate at the hospital for about two months.’ This, however, did not prevent Clift from also becoming a farm hand, post school.
Clift’s youngest brother, William won a three-year scholarship to Roseworthy in ’34 to undertake a diploma course. He then returned to Kadina Memorial School as an Agricultural Science teacher. However, with him enlisting to serve in WWII, the course collapsed. Being able to procure teachers was a constant challenge as so many heeded the call to serve their country and there were no replacements.
Aged 28, on the 8th January ’39, Clift was the first of the sons to begin in the 9/23rd Light Horse as 307279. By July 1st, then aged 30, he enlisted at Wallaroo to serve in WWII. At the time he was living in Snowtown working on the Kirchner’s farm.
(By ’42, both of Clift’s brothers had also enlisted. 24-year-old William, who had been a teacher at the local school, in January ’42 as SX16698. He became an electrician, qualifying with distinction and later serving in New Guinea in ’43. He rose to become a Corporal. 40-year-old David John, who as a youngster had sustained injury in the farm accident, enlisted in June as S86203.)
Clift was given the number SX8271 and allocated to the newly formed 2/48th Battalion. His early days were spent in the Motor Pavilion of what is now the Royal Adelaide Showgrounds where his ‘bed’ was a straw filled hessian on wooden pallets. The battalion trained in the Adelaide Hills before they had brief pre-embarkation leave. Back home, a Farewell Social was held by the Deputy Mayor in honour of those young men who had enlisted. These included SX5030 Privates Eric R. Olds and SX6909 Reg. Paterson in the 2/48th with Clift and two others, SX4052 Maxwell S. Jones and SX4106 William Dunn.
The 2/48th Battalion finally boarded the Stratheden for the Middle East, in November, arriving on the 17th December. Clift’s battalion then marched to a Staging Camp. During those early days, besides regular army duties was the need to quickly adapt to the locals. Within months, the 2/48th Battalion was involved in intense conflicts where their reputation for being the most highly decorated but decimated battalion was earned. Jack and Tom were to become one of the respected and famed Rats of Tobruk.
Early in September ’41 Clift was graded as a Group III Butcher. In February ’42, arriving 20 minutes late, Clift was charged with being Absent without Leave and was immediately confined to barracks, but fortunately did not lose pay for the breach. With hindsight, it is possible his as then undiagnosed sleep disorder, may well have been the cause. It took a further 16 months before this diagnosis was made.
Clift and his battalion returned to Australia via Melbourne in February ’43 but unfortunately on the voyage home, he contracted an extremely high temperature (Pyrexia of Unknown Origin) causing him to have three days in the ship’s hospital. Within four months he was back in hospital with narcolepsy, a very challenging sleep disorder, in June ’43 and by the end of that month was also diagnosed with extreme anxiety, (at the time called psychathnia) and a bacterial skin infection (pyodermia) in his right hand. Inevitably he was classified as only being able to carry out duties that required restricted medical fitness. Not unexpectedly, he was unable to re-join his battalion which was then training in Queensland. From Victoria he was then sent back to South Australia in September. Following leave, Clift was discharged on the 28th November, ’43. Within a few years, he was able to travel to Broken Hill to enjoy a holiday.
With peace declared and South Australia enjoying a return to normality, Clift’s 69-year-old mother died in September ’47. She was buried in the Kadina Cemetery. (Clift’s father, David lived to be 95 and died in March ’69. Clift’s older brother David Jnr died the month after their father David Snr.)
By December ’48 Clift announced his engagement to Margaret (Peg) Donaldson. They married on the 23rd of April the following year in the Brougham Place Congregational Church at 3 p.m. In February the following year they welcomed the first of their two daughters, Margaret with Clare arriving in April ’52. Two sons, John and Samuel completed the family, with John Donaldson first arriving in December ’53 and then Samuel.
Clift developed an interest in horse racing, entering at such meets as the Anzac trotting meeting at Wayville in April ‘53 with the proceeds to assist the Soldiers’ Distress Funds. Perhaps his most quirky win was at the start of that year with a pacer, named ‘Glenbri’. During the week it was harnessed to a milk cart delivering on a daily 20-mile round but also trained on the Wallaroo beach. Ironically no backer anticipated him winning. It was the first outing for the horse under the ownership of Clift. The win was made even more unique as by a strange coincidence, Jack Woodall SX7215 also from the 2/48th Battalion, post-war returned to training horses, taking them to several country meetings, including at Kadina. There, his horse placed second behind one trained by Clift. The Kadina and Wallaroo Times in their January article summarised ‘Mr Snodgrass arrived at the course on Tuesday in time to have a small investment with the "books" each way. He said the tote was too congested to back the horse there, otherwise he would have been the only investor in the win machine. The irony of fate came into the result of the race and brought two soldiers of World War II together again. The owner of the second horse, Mr J. Woodall came to congratulate Mr Clift Snodgrass on his victory and the two had not met since they served together in the war. Good sportsmanship usually prevails amongst these winners and losers.’ Clift had been discharged in October ’43, just months after Jack, who had sustained a gunshot wound to his head and a fractured humerus on the 13th September ‘41.
Clift lived to be 70. He died at Wallaroo on the 10th February ’81. Margaret lived to 84 when she died in September 2004. She was then buried with Clift in the Wallaroo cemetery in the General Section, Block 1539. The local RSSILA also added a memorial headstone commemorating his service, with a further bronze plaque also being added.
Researched and written by Kaye Lee, daughter of Bryan Holmes SX8133, 2/48th Battalion.

«b»«i»Birth: «/b»SA BDM «/i»B842 P422. «b»«i»Military Service: «/b»«/i»SX8271 (307279) Private Clift Gidley Snodgrass. Date of Enlistment 8 Jan 1939, Locality and place of Enlistment into the Australian Army Snowtown, SA. NOK: D Snodgrass. Posting at Discharge 2/48 Battalion, Discharged on 28 Oct 1943. «b»«i»Burial: «/b»«/i»Wallaroo Cemetery, Section General, Plot/Grave/Niche 1537, Last Residence Wallaroo, Age at Death 70 yrs, Date of Burial 12/02/1980. On Honour Board at Wallaroo RSL Club